Improved wash-board



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. NVITSIL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO IIIMSELF AND CLEMENT ORESSON, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED WASH-BOARD.

Specification forinirg part of Letters Patent No. 43,887, dated August I6, 1864; antedatcd August 1, 1854.

To all uhom it may concern Beit known that I, G. L. WITSIL, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Wash-Board; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of a wash board having concavities, annular recesses, and annular ribs, arranged substantially as and for the purpose described hereinafter.l

In order to enable others to make and use iny invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a. part of this specification, Figure lis a face view of my improved washboard, and Fig. 2 a sectionalv view.

My improved wash-board consists of the outer frame, A, within which is secured the board B, and in the face of the latter are formed small circular concavities a., around which are concave annular recesses b, and between the latter and the coneavities intervene the annular ribs d.

As regards dimensions and external form, niy improved wash-board is similar to those of ordinary construction, the annular recesses and concavities, however, taking the place of the transverse corrugations of common washboards, and these recesses and concavities being arranged in respect to each other in the manner illustrated in Fig. l.

When the saturated clothes are drawn from the wash-tub and placed against the face of the board, the water and suds will iind alodgment iu the concavities a. and recesses b. On

rubbing the clothes over the face of the board they will partially enter the concavities and recesses and bear against the outer edge ofthe said recesses and again-st the annular rib d.

The form of these edges and ribs and their arrangement in respect to each other have a .tendency to cause the portion ot' the clothes pressed against the board to be acted on at all points, whereas the action ot' the rubbing edges presented by transverse corrugations is limited.

The presence of water in the ooncavities and recesses assists to force the dirt from the intersiices of the fabric, and this water is displaced and a new supply of clean water deposited in the recesses every time the saturated clothes are raised from the tub and placed against the board.

The annular concaverecesses may be surrounded with others, thus presenting further edges for the clothes to be rubbed against. I have found in practice, however, that the concavities, recesses, and intervening ribs, arranged as shown in the drawings, are effective in practice.

l claim as my invention anddesire to secure by Letters Patent- A wash-board having the concavities, annular recesses, and intervening ribs, arranged substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. L. WITSIL.

Witnesses G. L. Wicrsrt.,

CHARLES HowsoN. 

